A Life of Faith and Service in Symbols:
Bishop David Arias' Coat of Arms

Taken from the Catholic Advocate, The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Newark June 30, 2004. (click to see enlargement)

Every bishop in the Catholic Church has a coat of arms, a custom which has come down from medieval times. The bishop's coat of arms is composed of a shield with its symbols, a motto (on the scroll), and external ornamentation.

For his coat of arms, Bishop Arias drew on the Spanish heritage of his family and his personal heritage. The traditional shape of the shield and its division into three part are taken from the arms of the Arias family. On these traditional features are placed the symbols of particular significance to the bishop.

Emerging from the base of the shield is a red pyramid on which is placed a solid triple tower. While this tower is also taken from the Arias family' shield, it has the additional significance of representing the Blessed Mother in the biblical symbol of the Tower of Babel. By using this symbol, Bishop Arias pays particular honor to the Blessed Virgin Mary and his patron name David. The use of the colors of red and gold further honors his Spanish heritage and that of his parents, Atanasio and Magdalena.

The other personal symbols include the red lion rampant, crowned with a gold diadem, which represents the ancient kingdom of Leon (lion) in Spain where the bishop was born. The flaming heart, pierced by the dart of divine love on an open book, is the symbol of the Augustinian Recollect Order to which His Excellency belongs. This signifies love and knowledge. The red cross in its peculiar shape is the cross used by the pilgrims, who for centuries have traveled from many nations to visit the tomb of the Apostle James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. This cross has been adopted as the special identification of the Cursillo movement in which Bishop Arias has been involved for many years.

The boat at sail represents the caravelles, the Pinta, the Niña, and the Santa Maria, which brought the Good News of the Lord to the New World by way of the missionaries who traveled aboard them. It additionally represents the Church, which is always symbolized by a boat at sail on a stormy sea. The background of the two major sections of the shield is silver. On the upper portion of each part there are seven fine lines, which are meant to signify the waters of Baptism by which each of us is initiated into the life of Christ. The number of lines (seven) represents the seven sacraments.

For his motto, Bishop Arias selected the Latin phrase, Pascere populum suum, "To shepherd, His people." Taken from Psalm 78:70-72, which reads, in part, "He chose David his servant to shepherd His people." These words have a particular significance for Bishop Arias because of their contents. In the Jewish Scriptures, God chose David, His servant, to shepherd His people.

The shield is completed by the external ornaments, which include a gold processional cross that extends above and below the shield, and a green pontifical hat, the gallero, with its six green tassels in three rows on either side of the shield. This hat was worn by bishops at a solemn convocation until 1870. These are the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop by the instruction of the Holy See of March 31, 1969.

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